Cinque Terre

Bellagio

Day trip to the Bellagio, about the halfway point of Lake Como. No George Clooney sightings but did manage to arrive at the same time as Israeli President Shimon Peres. Fortunately we avoided an international incident, though the Polizia did provide an armed guard for us during lunch.

Bernina Express

Day trip through the Swiss Alps on the Bernina Express train to St Moritz. Beautiful scenery along the way - snow capped mountains, cute little alpine chalets and some bratwurst and rosti to finish the day

Como

Arrived in Como this morning by train from Milan. Como is on the southern end of Lake Como, one of Italy's largest lakes. The water's edge is dotted with many beautiful villas, once the homes of the many wealthy families and the old walled city is perfect for strolling.
Sam and Larry have arrived from Paris to join us. I have quickly introduced Sam to the ritual of aperitivo - especially my new favourite drink Aperol Spritz.

Milan

Finally here. Arrived in Milan in the early hours of Sunday morning after nearly 21 hours in a plane, feeling tired but excited.
Just a quick wander around Milan though - suffering badly from blistered feet and jet lag.
Strolled through the very cute Brera neighbourhood - narrow streets, cafes and little boutiques.
The Galleria and Duomo were just spectacular - though the queue to get into the cathedral stretched from one of the piazza to the other.